Hegemony and leadership: experiences of elementary and middle school teachers in Huila

The text addresses the problem of how the hegemony and leadership exercised by teachers in educational institutions can affect the socio-emotional development of students and, ultimately, their integral formation. Traditionally, the role of the teacher has focused on a pedagogical discourse that seeks to guide and establish instructional norms to control students, which can have negative effects on their learning process and mental health. To address this problem, a non-experimental, cross-sectional study was carried out in a private school in Neiva, Colombia, using a case study design.
The research findings indicate that the language used by teachers has a notable effect on students’ socio-emotional growth, which has an impact on their ability to achieve deep learning and a holistic education. Teacher discourse can be a dynamic tool for learning  processes, but it can also generate hegemonic power relations that hinder learning and affect teacher-student relationships. In addition, the classroom and the interpersonal relationships within it have an important impact on students’ self-recognition. An abrupt change in the methodology due to virtual mediation was identified, which generated difficulties in student learning due to technical and interaction problems. In conclusion,
the importance of the teaching discourse in the integral formation of students and how it can influence their socio-emotional development is highlighted, as well as the challenges faced by teachers and students in the context of online teaching.